The Middle Ages in Europe are often seen as a backward period, especially when compared to the ancient world of Greece and Rome, while others often see the Middle Ages as an era of vibrancy and growth. With this mind and focusing on at least three of the four course themes of government, religion, gender, and social class, were the High Middle Ages in Europe between 1000 and 1300 a period of decline, a period of growth, or a mixture of the two?
